Following the release of OU’s Flexible Teaching Guidelines, an organized group of faculty and staff members released a statement saying the guidelines do not satisfy their requests.
A representative from the group, OU Workers United, responded to OU’s Flexible Teaching Guidelines with the following statement, sent in an email to The Daily:
“The OU Workers United petition was created by a group of faculty and staff who came together spontaneously out of concern for the university's fall reopening plan. We appreciate that the July 7 letter to faculty from Interim Provost Jill Irvine indicates the administration's willingness to modify plans in response to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We regret that the changes introduced yesterday do not satisfy the requests stated in the petition, which has been signed by more than 1650 faculty, staff members, students, alumni and members of the community.
“In particular, it is troubling that the only substantial change to university policy appears to place the responsibility of deciding which faculty members will teach online in the hands of individual department chairs, who are also charged with maintaining a ratio of at least 60 (percent) of class sections meeting face-to-face. This move serves to divide faculty, pitting various people’s needs against one another, and does not address the public health concerns inherent in holding face-to-face class meetings.
“The Flexible Teaching Guidelines also do not address the need for staff members and students to have the choice to work and study remotely.
“We hope that the university will consider the demands of our petition again and meet them.”
OU Workers United released its petition July 2 outlining four major proposals geared at maintaining safety and privacy for each group of stakeholders: Allowing instructors to choose whether they want to teach online or in person, allowing students to choose whether they take classes online or in person, allowing staff who are able to meet their responsibilities remotely to do so and ensuring that no OU community member will be required to disclose their or their family’s personal medical conditions in order to be able to teach, work or learn remotely. Read The Daily’s coverage of the petition here.
Asked for the university’s response to the petition, OU Director of Media Relations Kesha Keith sent the following statement to The Daily on Monday:
"The pandemic has created challenges never seen before and with that comes a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety. The University has received and reviewed the petition and, as has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, is keeping the safety, health, and welfare of each community member in mind as plans for a fall return continue to develop. Norman campus faculty will receive information on possible flexible teaching arrangements this week. Similar information for Norman campus staff and students is forthcoming."
Tuesday, the university released its Flexible Teaching Guidelines, which outline an updated process for faculty and graduate students to request a remote teaching accommodation.
